Lecture (LEC)

• IUB GenEd A&H credit
• COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inq

• IUB GenEd A&H credit
• COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inquiry credit

Topic: Lightness

The Lightness of Being The dream of flying is as old as human life. Leaving the world of gravity behind is a phantasm with many variants, ranging from Icarus in Greek mythology to Leonardo da Vinci¿s sketches of flying machines. Different forms of dance also count among the art forms that allow humans to defy the heaviness of existence through movement and choreography. But defying the heaviness of our earthly life is only one of the many manifestations of a much wider phenomenon: the lightness of being. Lightness is far from superficial. Rather, it is a sophisticated experience that forms an important ingredient enabling us to live a fulfilled human life in a world of existential weight. Lightness is also one of the very important achievements of artistic endeavors. This course in comparative literature studies a wide range of the canonic literary texts and films that allow us to experience and explore lightness from Greek comedy to screwball comedy, from modern dance to existentialist novels. We will explore the important role that forms of lightness play in our life. Some of them, for example Greek tragedy, lead to a catharsis that purges us from emotions such as fear and pity. Comedy, by contrast, "relieves" us through laughter and allows us to alleviate the burdens of our life. What are the different modalities of experience art enables that make us feel light? Course materials (not finalized): Texts: Albert Camus, The Stranger Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being Molière, Don Juan Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing Sophocles, Oedipus Films: Maren Ade, Toni Erdmann Howard Hawks, Bringing up Baby Billy Wilder, Some Like it Hot Wim Wenders, Pina